It will all fall down
by Ambroshia Sullivan
Summary: At the end of the world, Nora finds herself alone again. But there will be a reckoning. She will get her revenge and she will do whatever it takes to get back at the people who abandoned her. Not a romance fic. All companions will show up eventually. Please read and review. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

So Chapter 1. Funny how things start you know? Anyway i hope you like it...

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Nora felt the world fall sideways as her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed against the ground and slid into convulsions, bile spewing from her lips. Her muscles contracted and she was racked with spasms. Every part of her body felt aflame and she couldn't think beyond how horrible she felt. She squeezed her her closed and prayed for the feeling to pass, for her heart to stop beating so erratically and for her stomach to calm itself.

Radioactive bits of food pooled beside her head as the quakes subsided. Nora's breathes came out ragged and uneven. Nothing seemed right with her body and her brain couldn't seem to keep up with all the signals that bombarded it. A darkness pulled at her eyes and soon there was nothing.

When everything was finally still again and the blackness faded away, Nora could finally focus her eyes on the smouldering pile of ash in front of her. It was all that was left of Codsworth. Everything that he was reduced to nothing.

A cold sweat broke out across her skin as she inched toward the mound. Her joints cracked and screamed in protest but she had to see it, had to make sure what was in front of her was an illusion. There was no way that what was before her was Codsworth.

She didn't want this, never thought that it would come to this. But when he turned away from her Nora couldn't take it. He couldn't leave her, not after everything that had happened. She couldn't let him. Her gun was in hand before she was even aware of it firing without even thinking.

The look of betrayal when the first shot pierced his steel shell would never leave Nora. When he turned to retaliated Nora had to fight back. Fire and gunshots and then he was gone.

"Mum...Im dying…" his final words echoed through her mind as she crouched over what was left of him. Her first friend in this wasteland, her loyal companion. And she had killed him.

"Why damn it." She whispered aloud. "Why couldn't you just understand?" Anger filled her blood and she began to scream "Why did none of you understand!"

Everyone of her so called friends abandoned her, left her to die out in this new, unfamiliar world. Deacon, Danse, Piper, MacCready, Curie, all of them. They all just turned their backs on her.

" I did what I had to to survive! To thrive!"

"You think that you can live out here without bloodshed, without thievery, without brutality! I did what i had to!" Her voice cracked and wavered as she shouted at all the people who weren't there.

All the companions she had fought beside and for, had pushed her away, cursed her. And codsworth was the last one she could talk to, the last person she had.

"Why?" she question the smoldering pile of ash that was once her friend. But he would never answer again, never entertain her with his slightly dorky wit or voice concerns about her health and safety.

"Why couldn't you just trust me?"

For a long time Nora couldn't even move, her eyes could not tear themselves away from what she had done. This was it, he was the last one, Nora had no one now. No one was coming to help her, no one was going to watch her back or make sure that she was safe. She was alone.

"Damn you. All of you. All i did was try to live and this is what happens." Nora whispered as she finally stood. From her pack she withdrew a silver vase, the best she ever scavenged. She had planned on trading it at Diamond City but it was too late for that now.

Methodically she began to pour Codsworths ashes into the vase. The pile was still hot and it burned her hands but she paid no mind. She would heal and it was a small atonement, a punishment, for his murder. Her fingers soon blistered and blackened as she worked but it was like she could hardly feel it. She could hardly feel anything, not the saw blade wound she bore on her arm or the scorch wounds on her legs and abdomen. These injuries meant nothing as she scooped up the last bits of her friend.

When she was done night had already closed in and she could hear them skittering outside, the vile trash of the wasteland. No doubt they had heard her screaming and came in search of their next meal. Ghouls and radroaches and who knew what else. Any second now they would seek her out but Nora was not in the mood to fight anything. Her pack felt like it was filled with the entire Commonwealth, the weight of it bearing down on her very soul. But it was just the vase.

It's just a vase Nora tried to tell herself, tried to block out the knowledge that it was filled with the remains of the friend she killed. That on her back wasn't the blackened ruins of her oldest companion, that she hadn't just destroyed her last link to her old life.

"Yeah it's just a vase. It's fine. I'm fine." The lie fell out only to send a shockwave of pain through her heart. A pit of sorrow welled up inside of her and threatened to send her back into fits of sobbing but she pushed it away.

She couldn't break down right now. Not while she was trapped in the city surrounded by the abominations that wanted to eat her.

The escape from the building proved easier than she expected, probably due to the sound of raider gunshots and ghoul screeches a block or so away. Better them than me she thought a she scuttled away.

In the darkness the city almost looked like it had two hundred years ago. As if all the workers had gone home and simply turned the towers lights off. That in the morning they would be filled with people rushing about to meet deadlines and make business deals, traffic would be its normal, horrible self and the people would worry about nothing but their next bill payment.

Buildings passed that she had known in their prime. People she had known, long dead or turned into wretched ghouls, used to live happily here. This was where she had meet Nate, an ex soldier looking for a job and her a up starting business woman. But that was another time, another life. She didn't have strength to reflect on such painful things yet.

Nora escaped the city soon and cut across the empty fields. And maybe it was the silence that broke open the seal on her locked away memories. First it was McCready saying " _It's quiet. Too quiet. Oh man, I always wanted to say that._ " back when he still liked her enough to joke. The next was him asking her to seek some shelter so that they may be kept safe for the night. Then came Preston praising that it was not raining. Followed by Danse asking if they should set up a bivouac. And one by one her companions poured into her mind.

Her eye stung and it took every ounce of her will not to cry. She would not cry over them. They did not deserve her tears.

Nora smiled a sad smile, thinking of better times. She might not cry but she could just stop. She could lay down and just never get up. But as her steps faltered she knew she couldn't do that. She had to get home. There was no way in this wasteland hell she was dying. She had a reckoning to fulfill and someone who was waiting for her.

When Sanctuary Hill was at last in sight she broke out into a sprint to reach the only thing that could make her feel welcome again.

Dogmeat was in his dog house like always, patiently waiting for his master to return. He never judged, never cared about the morality of her actions or whether she was justified. He loved her unconditionally and would never leave. And that's what Nora needed. Dogmeat was somebody who no matter what you didn't do or couldn't take or didn't win or couldn't make loved you without judgement just the same.

"Oh Dogmeat." she cried as she collapsed in front of him. He plodded over to her and pressed his wet muzzle to her face. Nora raised her head and stared into his soft brown eyes and soon felt tears run from her own. Dogmeat lapped at her face and gave out soft wines. Nora clutched his fur tightly and held him close. Into his warm fur she allowed for the tears she had been kept locked away pour forth.

The settlers of Sanctuary Hill had long since been moved or killed and so Nora's cries went unheard by anyone but her last companion and only friend.

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So good? Bad? Problems? Let me know! I adore reviews. Until next time sweethearts...


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter! Hope you like it. Enjoy!

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Unbeknownst to Nora, towards the north was a small shack that overlooked the valley that was her neighborhood. From this cliff faced lookout sat Deacon, watching her through homemade binoculars.

From his vantage point, Deacon could see the Vault and all of Sanctuary Hills. He was there when Nora had first emerged from the vault as PAM had predicted. And he was there when she brought back what was left of the shattered minute men. Hell, it wasn't so long ago that he might have called Sanctuary Hills a second home but now it was little more than the grave of shattered promises.

He had been up there for some time, waiting for Nora to return. It wasn't a mission exactly, more like recon on a possible enemy. Nora was no longer Whisper of the Railroad. She was now a risk that had to be monitored and terminated if necessary. Her in depth knowledge of the Railroad, its headquarters, its agents, its entire organization made her the most dangerous person to their group and Deacon had made it his personal mission to keep her from wrecking it all.

He had been the one to vouch for her, to convince Des to let her in. But looking at her now and knowing what she had become made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I can't believe that at one point i wanted to travel with you." he muttered.

When she began to get greedy is when he really started to notice a change in her. She didnt help people out of the goodness of her heart anymore, she always wanted caps in return. And then she got addicted to those fucking chems and suddenly everything fell sideways. She started to murder people indiscriminately just to take the stuff from their corpses and began to steal and talk down to people. The deal breaker for Deacon was when she started to side with the obvious bad guys and continued to help them in their malicious plans.

He thought to the time a few weeks ago when he finally confronted her about her choices. He thought maybe if he talked to her and made her remember who she was before she became jaded by the Commonwealth, she might return to who he knew she could be. But instead she walked right past him. Nora didn't want to hear what he had to say, didn't care for his opinion. That's when Deacon knew he couldn't stay with this malignant person anymore.

She was down there right now, holding onto the dog that always followed her around. Deacon could have taken him if he had wanted but he wasn't so cruel. Not like her.

He sat down and rubbed his eyes beneath his shades. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Everyone thought that she would be the savior of the Commonwealth and in the beginig she was becoming just that.

"And look where we are now."

Deacon looked at the rifle he had leaning against his lookout. If it came to it, he knew he could do it. It might be harder to pull the trigger but she was just like any other enemy to the cause, except she used to be his greatest friend. She knew everything about him, he had trusted her with his blood soaked past and then she just had to go and turn against everything he stood for.

Nora was latched onto Dogmeat and had not moved in sometime. It was then that Deacon noticed that she no longer had Codsworth with her. 'He must have gotten tired of her shit too' he thought as he looked down at the pair. Codsworth was the last companion that could even remotely stand her and even then it was a precarious state of acceptance.

Deacon thought that he might feel bad for her yet he couldn't help feeling that she was getting what she deserved. This was the price she had to pay.

An hour or two had gone by before Nora stood up. She said something to Dogmeat before heading toward the old oak tree at the end of Sanctuary. He thought she might stop there but she just wadded into the water. She held Dogmeat in one arm and swam across the lake. Once on the other side she gave Dogmeat a Stimpack and then vanished into the foothills beyond.

"Well i guess i need to go report this to the others." Some of the companions did not want to ever see her again and so where in more or less in hiding. Nick Valentine however had begun to stay at Railroad HQ, acting as an agent and using it as a getaway. Nora was considered a traitor by all the agents and so if she even tried to get in she would be mowed down by Glory and her minigun. Glory felt especially betrayed and murderous so that's why she wasn't selected to be the one who shadowed Nora.

When Deacon had made it made it back to HQ the place was in a tizzy packing everything away. They were moving to a new location, one that they hoped Nora didn't know about. She had several of their hideouts already memorized so they couldn't head there. Everyone, from all outpost, were being uprooted and told to move anywhere else. The Railroad would be scattered and unknown to everyone else. They couldn't risk having any location be compromised. With a single action Nora could bring down the entire Railroad.

"Des!" Deacon called out, "I have some info." Des turned to him and he had never seen her look so bad, so stressed. She always put on the air of a hardass but something like this would bring anyone to their knees. "Valentine you come here too. I think you might want to hear this."

He told them about what he had seen in the last few days of trailing Nora, about Codsworth and the other companions, and where she was last seen.

"Thats interesting Deacon. So she has no one to help her right?" questioned Desdemona.

"Yeah she's alone, save for Dogmeat."

"Then we can relax a little bit, without someone to help her across the Commonwealth i dont think she will last too long."

"I wouldn't count on that Des." interjected Valentine. "I've seen that woman do some incredible and terrible things. I wouldn't write her off so easily." Valentine had traveled with Nora even longer than Deacon so his gauge of her strength couldn't be that far off.

"I'll keep that in mind."

The two both went back to their tasks and Deacon went to take a long needed rest. But he wouldn't get any sleep. The painful last few weeks drugged up old memories and the dying screams of his synth wife wouldn't let him drift off.

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Tell me what you think about this chapter, It makes me so happy to read reviews. Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3

So third chapter uh. Please read and review. Also if there are grammar or spelling mistakes im sorry. Enjoy!

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Nora gnawed on a grilled radroach from her perch atop the robotics disposal ground building. It was an old dump just south of Sanctuary Hills that Nora had become rather fond of. Everything there was from the old times and made her feel nostalgic.

She had rebooted an old sentry bot and now he patrolled the grounds around the building.

She highly doubted anyone would come looking for her here but she like the protection all the same.

Dogmeat was asleep next to her, happily full and unaware of their predicament.

Even as she chewed, Nora felt the familiar warmth of radioactivity in her core. Here she was, at the end of the world, being watched over by a robot while eating giant roach flesh, being hunted by nightmare creatures. Just more things she never imagined she would be used to.

Nora leaned back and looked toward the sky that was never so clear in her time. Her rage had simmered into an ache that had become a swirling pool of malice in her heart. A plan was starting to form in her mind, cruel beyond measure, but no less than what those traitorous bastards deserved.

Nora hated killing, its was not in her nature. She wasn't born into war, had never acclimated to bloodshed. But she had found it to be a necessity. The Commonwealth was an Us vs Them society and if they threatened her life then they deserved to die.

But she didnt want to think about that kind of thing right then. She wanted to watch the stars and imagine better times. In her mind she played out a scene where she and Nate and Shawn were all laying in the backyard pointing out constellations. Shawn was older, looking like the synth clone down in the institute, but it was comforting none the less. Nora had drifted off before she even realized it.

The sound off rapid gunfire startled her awake.

"What the hell?" she shouted as she sprang up.

A little bit way, her robotic guard was engaging a pack of feral ghouls. Each of their warped faces was twisted in mindless rage while their clawed hands slashed at the mechs armour. They darted around like humming birds, flecks of pus and blood spattering with every move.

Of all the creatures of the wasteland, Nora hated ferals the most.

"I didnt want to have to use my bullets so soon." Nora grumbled as she reloaded the gun she warmly called the Ghoul Slayer. She raised her arm and targeted the monsters. A 10mm round burst each one of their heads in succession, littering the forest grounds with gore.

Her time in the wasteland had dramatically improved her accuracy, in fact, it was like she became stronger with every enemy she killed.

"How you doing over there?" Nora called out to the sentry robot. He was a little scratched up and a bit down on ammo, but overall still functioning.

"I am operational."

Good to hear Nora thought as she hopped down from the roof. Nothing like a battle to wake you up in the morning.

"Protect this place until i get back, ok?" Nora gathered up her necessary supplies and headed out, not even waiting for the robot's reply. She didn't needed to, unlike humans and humanoid robots, her sentry bot could be relied on.

Dogmeat followed at Nora's heels as she set out to put her plan into motion.

The first thing she wanted to do was give McCready his toy soldier doll back. Its not that she didnt like it or want McCready to have such an important and sentimental item back. It was just that it made her feel guilty for some reason when she looked at it. And she couldn't bring herself to destroy it, after all it did mean something to her, and so she would give it back to its original owner.

It was a safe bet that McCready would head back to Goodneighbor at some point but so would Hancock. Hancock was particularly pissed off at her and would probably put a kill order out on her to all of Goodneighbor. Nora had to get there before he did otherwise she would never get past the front gate.

"Can you believe that prick said he would cut my throat the next time he saw me!" Nora complained to Dogmeat. "After everything i did for him."

Dogmeat simple barked in reply.

'Thank god for the Institute' She imputed the coordinates of the town and the teleporter in her Pip-Boy rocketed her across the ruins of Boston. She was at the main gate in an instant.

Nora pushed open the door and considered it a small miracle she was not gunned down immediately. No one seemed to know anything was amiss. KL-E-O made her usual flirts and the guards were unhelpful.

He must not have gotten back yet...perfect.

She strutted into the Third Rail and greeted Ham kindly. After all, it was probably the last time she would she him. She resolved to say goodbye to everyone before they all came to hate her.

Whitechapel Charlie was there making drinks and snide comments like always.

"Hey, I'll pay you 500 caps to give something to someone for me."

"For that much I'll do anything you say love." Charlie said jovially.

"When you see McCready, give this to him. No matter what." Nora took out the wooden doll and placed it in a compartment in Charlie's chassis. It was the safest place she could leave it.

"And tell him that he should have believed in me."

The next hour or so was spent chatting and saying goodbye to the mild acquaintances of Goodneighbor. After that it was finding a place in the financial district in which to watch the return of Hancock. Nora camped out on a freeway bridge at a gunner outpost. She had made quick work of the Gunners stationed there and had collected all the loot she wanted. And this was the kind of thing that made her companions turn on her? How absurd.

It was near dawn the next day that Hancock pushed open the front door. He looked worse for wear and upset. Nora couldn't see the ghouls face but she wished she could.

"How does it feel to be alone?" Nora whispered aloud. But he wasn't alone like she was, at least he had friends in Goodneighbor, she had no one. The urge to snipe him welled up inside her. It would be so easy, she could have to two bullets shot off before they even knew what was happening. But it was not time for that, not just yet.

Nora watched with dismay as the people she spoken with kindly only a day ago were told of her so called "atrocities" and ordered to kill her on sight.

Just another place lost to her.

But she didnt have to time to feel sorry for herself. She had a mission and it had to be done quickly.

Next stop, the Institute.

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So what did you think? Do you like where the story is going? Let me know! Much love...


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all. Another chapter for your reading pleasure. Spoilers? Cait might be a bit off, character wise so sorry about that. Hope you like it...

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The blood flew through the air, showering the smoke filled room like red stars. Caits punch had made impact with a sickening crunch, caving in her opponent's right cheekbone. He had already taken quite the beating, a dislocated shoulder, probably a fractured rib, bruises and having part of his face obliterated was last straw. The nameless competitor crumbled on the ground and made no sound but a gurgling noise as his blood pooled into his mouth.

He might die if he wasn't careful but Cait wasn't concerned about that. The roar of the Gunners cheers seemed to drown out all of her thoughts. Even the pain was less sharp. Tommy had gotten them to come to the combat zone in much the same way he did the raiders. All he had to promise was drugs, food, and blood.

"Let's hear it for Cait, our Champion!" Tommy theatrically called from the microphone. The visiting patrons gave a mild response, ready to get onto the next match already. The half dead man was drag from the cage and haphazardly tossed to the side of the stage.

"Hey sorry friend, you fight pretty good, but your gunna die." Cait said in her heavy accent. She didn't really care that much but she felt she had to.

She wandered into the back room for a much needed break while new competitors began to viciously beat one another in the pit.

Cait usually kept a few stimpacks in a box to fix up her injuries. It wasn't until she opened the container that she remembered Nora taking them after she had fought all those raiders. She had never seen such an amazing display of fighting prowess. Twenty raiders all killed in only moments and Nora asking if she were alright.

"Why didn't you stay that way?" Cait pondered as she took up a bottle of gwinnett stout. Cait had returned to the combat zone after Nora decided that eating people was ok. And it wasn't just that, Cait had seen her gun down none hostiles, sometimes to check how her newest gun was or just because she could. And if that wasn't bad enough she would steal things from their still warm corpses. But worse yet was how she would use chems in front of her and that she would take up jobs for people who could have easily done the work were just the things that first popped into her mind, the list went on and on.

Nora had been so kind to her. She had even helped her kick her psycho habit. But as the things people asked her to do became more frequent and dangerous, she couldn't handle it all. So she started to take the more ruthless, efficient ways to deal with problems. Lie, kill, take. Cait didn't have a problem with those things perse but it was becoming so frequent that even she couldn't take anymore.

She knew she was slow to trust, thanks to her abusive bastard of a father, and Nora was the first person she had let into her life. And look where that got her, more broken and betrayed than when the whole mess started.

"You played me the fool, didnt you bitch."

When Nora came, and she would, Cait would be right here ready to fight to the death.

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Danse felt exposed without his power armour.

The creepy, abandoned building also didn't help the feeling of being vulnerable, but what could he do. The Brotherhood had banished him, Nora had left him, and he hated the Institute with every fiber of his synthetic being. His world had been ripped away and now he had nowhere to go, no one to rely on in his time of crisis. After everything, everyone he helped, there was no one who cared enough to worry about him.

He spun round a smashed in fist into a nearby wall. It hurt like hell but he knew it was only a facsimile of pain. Robots don't feel.

It was so strange to think of themselves as a synth because he did feel human. Nothing about him felt fake, felt manufactured, but he needed to accept the truth. He had no past, no family, and somewhere inside of himself was circuit boards and clockwork.

And only Nora had accepted him. Protected him. Fought beside him for the future of the Commonwealth. They were family.

But "were" was the operative word. She decided that the filth of the wasteland was worth life and even went out of her way to protect them, if only to get the stuff they promised her for their protection. But worse was that Nora murdered humans more often than not, the very creature he had dedicated his existence to saving.

He had resolved to leave the Commonwealth entirely. Away from the Brotherhood and away from Nora. But for now he had to hole up in this dilapidated office building, fighting off whatever creature came at him. He knew where he could get help, where he might from some refuge, but it made him sick just thinking about having to rely on the Railroad. They had a twisted idea of what it meant to be human and it went against his very principles but they might be his only avenue to freedom.

'Why did it have to turn out like this' Danse thought, 'Why did you have to betray my trust.'

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Its alittle short but hopefully still good. Please review, thanks. Until next time sweethearts...


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! New chapter is here. Please review so i know what you all are thinking...

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Nora had always found the Institute beautiful.

The architecture and cleanliness was such a contrast to the surface. Out there was nothing but dirt and radiation and in here she had a clean bed and purified water. She could spend a days looking a the sterile world of the Institute but there was something far more pressing she needed to do.

She headed up to the room that she had first meet "Father" because she needed to see the son she never got to know. Shawn's cancer had infected every part of his body and was entirely bedridden now. He wasn't moving when she entered the room but he was still alive. Just sleeping.

Nora took the chair next to his bed and prepaid to wait until he awoke. No matter how pressing her goals might be, he was still her son. She would wait because he was in constant pain and delusional half the time and sleeping was the only time he got any peace.

Awhile later a synth brought her a drink from the cantina and offered her condolences.

"You know Father is a great man. You should be proud." she said. "And im sure that he is proud to have you as a mother."

"Thanks. I needed to hear that...How has his condition been?" questioned Nora.

"Oh he was lucid all day last week. Lately he's been sleeping alot. I'm afraid he won't last out the month." the woman's face fell as she spoke of the death of her creator. "But at least we will have someone like you to guide us after he has left us."

Nora only nodded mutely and soon after the woman left.

Shawn woke later into the day and seemed dazed. He was old when Nora had meet him but the sickness was taking its toll on his body. He was so thin now, he vomited out everything he ate, and his face and eyes were so sunken. He looked paper thin and extremely fragil.

"Hello Shawn." said Nora softley.

Shawn turned his head and looked at her and after a look of recognition passed across his face.

"Hello Mom."

He had never said that to her before. He always called her my her name. The sound of it filled Nora with a maternal fierceness that she hadn't felt for the man before. She wasn't there for him while he was growing up but now, at the end, time seemed to fall away. He was her helpless little baby again. And she would be here for him this time.

"I'm sorry that this is how you have to see me. I'm not long for this world." Shawn managed to croak out.

"I know." Nora didn't know why she was being so formal but she felt she had to be. This was a person facing death, the ultimate unknow. And even after everyone she killed, to her, Shawn's death was much more profound.

"You already know of my plans to give command of the Institute to you. But because of my state recently it might be best to do it now." He reached across and pressed a button on his bed and in a few minutes all of the division heads and Courser commanders were in his room.

"Hello everyone. There is something i wish to do while i'm still sound of mind. I'm hereby transferring my title and power to my mother, Nora. You will obey and care for her just as you have done for me. She will guide our organization into the new world. She is the best leader for our dream of remaking the world. Thank you for all that you have done, you have all made me proud."

By the end of his speech Shawn was gasping for air, he had expended alot of his much needed energy. Nora and some of the others in the room had tears in their eyes. Everyone soon relieved that Nora and Father needed a private moment to talk and filtered out to spread the word to the rest of the staff.

Shawn caught his breath and stared at the ceiling. He didn't say anything for awhile until Nora took his hand.

"Im content. I've done all i can. Thank you for finding me."

His words were short and he was drifting away. He was trying to fill a lifetime of talks into only a few sentences.

"Of course Shawn, your my son and i love you." But he was already asleep again.

Nora left the room and went to her own quarters for the night. The next morning Shawn died.

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Good? Bad? Tell me what you think! Lots of love...


	6. Chapter 6

Welcome to another chapter! Hope it pleases you...

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Nora was now the head of the Institute. The queen of the boogeyman of the Commonwealth.

All of its power and resources were at her disposal. Everything she could ever need to carry out her plan. But it would have to wait. Shawn had passed and the entire Institute was in morning, even Nora herself felt the weight of his loss. He was the last of her family. First Nate and now Shawn. Everyone from her previous life was gone, even Codsworth.

The Institute seemed so quiet.

There would be no funeral for Shawn. It was believed that it would be too problematic for everyone and so he was quickly cremated. Nora quickly became privy to all the secrets of the Institute, all of its plans and hidden rooms. It was nothing major or unexpected. The Institute was a shady place and the fact that it wanted to destroy the Commonwealth was no surprise. X6 had said as much.

X6.

He would have to be taken care of. He knew about how she was more or less a triple agent and how the continuation of the Institute was not at the forefront of her mind. He too had refused to travel with her and had returned to the shipwreck by Libertalia. To her knowledge that was where he currently was.

But if he decided to return, he would turn the whole Institute against her like Hancock did with Goodneighbor.

She could not let that happen.

"Attention Coursers." she spoke into the intercom, "I know we are all upset at the passing of Father but we must not let our mission be disregarded. There is a rogue Coursers who threatens us. Meet me in the main hall on the first floor."

Nora would use their loyalty to the Institute to take down one of their own.

When everyone was gathered they teleported to the settlement just a little aways from X6 location.

"Listen. I want X6-88 taken alive and uninjured. If you must, use his reset code. And most importantly dont listen to what he says, they are lies to get you to turn on me." Nora addressed the group.

"Understood." they said in unison.

Nora went ahead of them so that she might speak to X6 before the fighting began. She hoped he would shoot at her first as to prove to the others that he was in the wrong.

There he was just standing by the ship. When he saw her he didn't raise his gun but that's when she saw the series of mines littering the ground.

"Really X6?"

"You are capable of speaking to me from that distance."he said spitefully.

"Fine. I promised that i would find a way to make you pay for abandoning me. And here i am."

Nora raised her gun and shot at the mine closest to X6 feet. It exploded into fragments that barely damaged him. But that was also the signal for the other Courses to charge. From both sides they rushed X6. A few stepped on mines and others were shot by X6 but soon he was laying flat on the ground, pinned down by the others.

"Take him back to the Institute and lock him away. I would prefer having him alive." As the Coursers began to drag him away he began to calmly share all the secrets he knew about her. Nora would have demanded some proof of the accusations, but knowing him, he probably had some.

Thankfully none of the Coursers seemed to believe him. When X6 captors vanished into the blue lighting of the teleporter Nora turned her sights to Libertalia. She needed to blow off some steam and the flotilla had become overrun with raiders again.

She had become so much stronger since she had done that mission. She noticed that every so often she would have a skill that she didn't have before. Terminals, locks, conversations, everything seemed to get easier. Hell she could even eat people and walk through radiation and actually feel better. And it always happened after a big battle so maybe re-clearing the place would make her stronger.

She would go in with the gun she had stolen last time she was there, Le Fusil Terribles, just for the "In your face" value of it. It was easy pickings this time, each person going down like ragdolls before her. It was far too easy. She went through and collected all the stuff she wanted and she even felt stronger.

"So fighting makes me stronger...good to know." Nora thought that she would have to get in fights more often. "Lets see how strong i can get."

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With X6 out of the way and her plan going smoothly, Nora began to experiment with her new found ability. She went to the Glowing Sea just to see how it would go. She didn't even bother wearing a hazmat suit.

Rad Scorpions were the first enemy she encountered, the hurt her a bit before she blew them away. The next were the stingwings that she actually had to flee from, they were just too fast for her to follow. Their thin bodies and fast stings were difficult to cope with. She wasn't strong enough yet.

The ghouls proved easier, she just shot out their legs and then proceeded to walk around and shot them in the head. A bit cowardly but it enabled her to win and that's what was important. It was when she saw a deathclaw in the distance that she decided she wasn't ready just yet for such an area and she ran out of the radiation polluted area. When she was safe enough away that nothing would follow her she stopped to take a breath and think.

"If my plan is going to work i need to get to the point where i run from nothing." So i need to start on some smaller game' she mentally added.

Luckly a Gunner outpost wasn't that far away.

"Time for some target practice."

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So what did you think? Let me know, i love reading reviews. Until next time...


	7. Chapter 7

I will be editing this story so if this seems jumpy im sorry, i will fix it eventually. Hope you like it regardless...

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Nora wasn't human anymore. She knew that much. The radiation or the cryochamber or some otherworldly force had changed her. Things that would kill anyone else left her uneffected. Bullets to the head, radiated water, falls from great heights, over dosing on chems. All did absolutely nothing.

Her eyes that had once been a soothing brown now glowed ominously. She could make head shots at hundreds of yards with ease. Her bones were unbreakable and her stomach completely accustomed to the disgusting food of the wasteland. She was strong and fast and never got tired anymore.

No, she was not human. She was something else entirely.

She had been hiding out in the Institute for weeks now, letting everything settle before she did anything drastic. There were still gaps in her plan that she needed to fill in so she would wait for a little longer. But one thing was definitely needed immediately. Diamond City. The great green jewel of the Commonwealth, the major hub of all trade and protection.

The mayor was under her control and she was sure the citizens would bend to her will if pressed but she needed to make her control irrefutable. Nora knew she couldn't use synths to take over the city as they hated synths more than anything. The Railroad hated her so they were out. The minutemen were still loyal but she had another plan for them. That left the Brotherhood.

They were more or less indifferent to her. She hadn't killed Danse but Maxion had left it slide. Nora had gone against orders a few times but enough to turn the faction against her. As far as she knew they weren't aware of her leadership of their greatest enemy.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get their help."

"Ma'am?" Asked Z1-14.

Since she returned to the institute she had been changing the Institute's policies regarding synths and kidnapping people. Synths were free and were to no longer be used like tools. Some people refused to oblige her wishes but when they saw she had the backing of not only the regular synths but the courses as well, who were programed to follow the leader of the institute no matter what what, refusal diminished quickly.

Nora was still unsure as to why they had been replacing people with synths. Maybe it was to see if people could tell the difference but that seemed silly. She would have to ask the people in synth retention one day.

"Ma'am? Are you ok?" Z1 questioned again. He had been her assistant since she imprisoned X6-88. He no longer went by Z1 but rather Jonathan. After Nora had made the changes, most synths decided to stay to show their gratitude. They could leave whenever they wished.

"Im fine. Just trying to work something out."

She was in the suite that her son had formerly occupied, though it now looked nothing like it once did. The furniture was all different and any painful reminders of this slow death had been removed. A large bed had been placed in the center of the room, along with several cabinets to store all the things she collected.

She rolled to face the robotic man and studied his face. 'Is that what Nick would look like if he was a Gen3?'

Dogmeat was reclined next to her, freshly bathed and fed, more comfortable than he had ever been. Nora kept him by her side at all times, even in the safety of the Institute.

"If i said i needed to work with the Brotherhood to further my plans what would you say?"

The mans form went ridged and his eyes hardened. It wasn't unexpected. What was surprising was how he relaxed after a moment.

"If you believe it to be necessary then i trust you."

Nora felt her heart tear open. Why did this person trust her? Why did this person understand necessity while the others didn't?

"I hate the Brotherhood with every fiber of my being but if they are your only option I will support you."

Dogmeat must have sensed her distress as he awoke and curled himself up by her chest. Nora held him while she watch Jonathan. If only Strong and Curie and all the others could have been like him.

"Thank you Jonathan. That means more than you know." He nodded and left the room.

But as time past a creeping thought appeared. What if Z1 wasn't different from the others. What if when she went through with her plan he would stab her in the back? What if he was still helping out the Railroad and was plotting to kill her in her sleep?

Yes that had to be it. He was tricking her, making her think he would put aside all his ideals to help her and when she finally felt safe with him he would leave like the others.

She would not allow that to happen. Nora would rather have him kill her outright than making her go through the pain of betrayal all over again.

Nora knew it was paranoia talking but what if it was true and that what if was all she needed. Nora resolved right then and there to not trust anyone again. She had made herself vulnerable and if her suspicion turned out to be true at least she wouldn't feel anything.

"Its just you and be dogmeat. No one else."

Tomorrow she would go to Boston airport and then the master plan would be set in motion.

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Good? Bad? I would love to know. Suggestions maybe? Anythings good. Until next time sweetlings...


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